Friday, March 03, 2017

[311] Public’s help needed in preserving Bradley Academy, African-American history

MURFREESBORO — MTSU
students are trying to preserve the history of African-American education in
Rutherford County, and you can play a major role by helping them.

Graduate students in Brenden Martin’s “Essentials of Museum
Management” class, in cooperation with the Bradley Academy Museum and
Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation, need the public’s help in providing
artifacts and identifying people in photographs as they revamp the museums’
exhibit area.

The exhibit space was developed 16 years ago, but Martin
says museum and municipal officials want to broaden the scope of the exhibit.

“As Bradley Academy moves into a new administrative
structure, I think they are very interested in expanding their collections,”
said Martin.

The student director of the project is Lindsey Fisher, a
doctoral candidate from New Castle, Pennsylvania.

“The big idea is African-American education as a way to do
activism and preservation,” said Fisher.

Presentation of the artifacts is still being discussed, but
Martin and Fisher said plans include using some existing oral histories from
MTSU’s Albert Gore Research Center and Rutherford County’s archives to create
short films for more of a multimedia experience.

Eleven students who are working on their master’s and
doctoral degrees are contributing to the project.

“Each person is assigned a specific task,” said Fisher. “We
have some people who are doing research, some people who are coordinating all
of the oral histories, some people who are doing just the digital histories,
and then we’re all sort of working together on the exhibit text to make sure it
all makes sense.”

Martin said Bradley Academy, Holloway High School and other
educational venues were “places of empowerment” for the African-American
community, which was disempowered by slavery and later by Jim Crow laws that
hampered educational enlightenment.

“We are excited for the new additions and changes to
highlight the accomplishments of more African-Americans in the community that
have not been told or shown to the public,” said Katie Wilson of the Friends of
Bradley Academy Museum.

Some existing aspects of the exhibit, such as the arch
representing the academy entrance and murals painted by artist Steve Matthews,
will remain part of the display.

“We take pride in the historical value of this building and
want to give everyone who visits a wonderful and educational experience,” said
Vonchelle Stembridge, program coordinator of the Bradley Academy Museum &
Cultural Center. “The community is going to be able to view our museum in a new
and innovative way.”

For the students, the project represents a major addition to
their portfolios as they prepare for careers in historical fields.

“The benefit of this for the students is that they get some
real world, hands-on experience in museum exhibits, installation (and)
collections management,” said Martin. “I think it’s a really unique training
opportunity for their future careers.”